ITV has revealed the celebrity line up for brand new live series The Games.
Hosted live by Holly Willoughby and Freddie Flintoff, The Games will see a line up of twelve celebrities go head to head in a number of sports.
The twelve celebrities preparing to strap on their trainers, pull on their swimsuits and get on their bikes for ITV’s new live series The Games have been revealed.
The Games line up
Olivia Attwood
Reality TV star Olivia, 30, is putting her party girl days behind her to re-discover her childhood love for sport.
Says Olivia: “When I was younger, I loved sport and I was so sporty, but over the years I’ve become so distanced from it. So when this show came up I thought, ‘When would I ever get the chance to do sport on this level with these amazing facilities and all these amazing athletes and coaches training us?’ I just thought it was too good a chance to pass up.
“I wouldn’t say I’m an overly competitive person, I’m usually quite laid back, but I don’t want to come last!”
Phoenix Brown
Model and influencer Phoenix Gulzar-Brown, 23, is the daughter of Spice Girl Mel B and a self- proclaimed sports fanatic.
Says Phoenix: “I’m excited about everything, the challenge, the whole competition. It’s something I’ve never done before. I love sport, so this is kind of my field. I’m going to be competitive in all the events. I’m a competitive person! Friendly competitiveness is healthy, so I’m really excited.
“Everyone is great, everyone is so nice. I’m not super fit but I’m very active and I really enjoy it. It’s something I’m glad to be back out, doing sports again.”
Kevin Clifton
Kevin, 39, professional dancer and leading man, competed in seven series of Strictly Come Dancing and five finals, before winning the show in 2018.
Says Kevin: “There are two main reasons for me taking part in The Games. One is that everything in my life has been about performing, dancing, acting and singing and it’s usually felt quite comfortable, and then last year, I did Singing in the Rain and I’ve never done tap-dancing before and I had to learn tap-dancing for that.
“The fact that it went well has put me in the zone of thinking, ‘Ok, if I properly put my mind to something then maybe I can do something completely different.’ Also, I’m turning 40 this year and I don’t want it to feel like I’ve done everything I wanted to do, in terms of dancing and performing and so now I’m getting older so I’ll just slow down. I want to get to 40 and be in the best shape of my life. So, I’m doing something completely new and outside my comfort zone.”
Max George
Singer Max, 33, is best known for being a member of band The Wanted but his first love was football and he played for Manchester City’s youth squad for over two years.
Says Max: “I really wanted to experience what it’s like to eat and live like an athlete, you know. To get to go the velodrome and go to where the pros train every day. It’s like a once in a lifetime thing, so taking part was a no brainer for me.
“The training is tough – the sprinting is a killer! But I’m enjoying it though. And everyone’s so nice and there’s a great competition going on. I think anything that you put a lot of work in to, will naturally become competitive. At this moment in time I feel like if we raced tomorrow on the start line, a few of us would just be giggling. But as the weeks go on that’s going to change!” #
Chelcee Grimes
Singer, Grammy-nominated songwriter and footballer Chelcee Grimes, 29, admits she has been getting tips from Usain Bolt in the lead-up to The Games.
Says Chelcee: “I’m taking part in The Games because I love a challenge. For me this is the biggest challenge there is, learning nine events, over a space of about six weeks, will be challenging in itself. Also I’m very competitive, so I’m going to be winning gold! Being a footballer, it’s been in my DNA from a young age that you don’t lose, you don’t draw, you go and win.
“And if you can’t win, don’t lose! So we’ll see what tactics I come up with.”
Josh Herdman
Actor Josh, 35, is best known for playing bad boy Gregory Goyle in the Harry Potter movies and admits that he went off the rails in his teenage years following his career success.
Says Josh: “I love a challenge and I’m really competitive. I always want to learn new stuff and we are being taught by the best coaches and teachers. It will be a fantastic life experience, learning new things, having a challenge and competition, so it ticks all the boxes for me.
“The event I’m most looking forward to is the canoe slalom. I’ve never done it and it’s so alien to me. I imagine it will be like riding a motorbike, but I don’t know how accurate that will be, we’ll see.”
Christine McGuiness
Author, model and Autism ambassador Christine, 34, discovered her love for fitness after having her three children and using the gym to unwind from the challenges of parenting.
Says Christine: “I’m taking part in The Games for my three children, who are my biggest inspiration. They just go for it with anything in life and they really inspire me. I’ve always been a bit scared, especially with sport.
“When I was at school I would never have put myself forward for the netball team or anything. I was that girl at school that never took part. But my children just do it. So because of them, they’ve inspired me to push myself out of my comfort zone and do something a bit different.”
Colson Smith
Actor Colson, 23, is best known for his role as Craig Tinker in Coronation Street.
Says Colson: “It’s the aspect of a challenge that appealed to me about The Games and to prove to myself that I can do it. I’ve learnt in recent years that there are no limitations as to what I can and cannot do. This opportunity came up and it seemed like the perfect next step in my fitness journey.
“It’s a tough one to choose my best event because they’re all so varied. Everyone thinks I’m all about the running, but the running that I usually do is so different to this style of running, that it’s almost alien. I’m looking forward to learning new skills and learning from the best coaches, in the best venues, that I can.”
Lucrezia Millarini
ITV News anchor and journalist Lucrezia originally trained to be a barrister, until a terrifying accident on holiday in Greece gave her a different perspective on life.
Says Lucrezia: “I agreed to do this because I just thought, ‘What an amazing opportunity’. I couldn’t possibly turn it down. I already enjoy working out and I’m really interested to see just how far I can push my body. And yes, I’m just a little bit competitive! I want to do well in this. While everyone’s really lovely and we’re getting on great at right now, I’m sure that competitive edge will emerge the closer we get to the live shows.
“My strengths are definitely running, swimming, and diving. I’m looking forward to getting back in the pool and I’m ready to take on the 10-metre diving platform. Fear is not an option. It’s as much about mental strength as it is about physical. I’ve got determination on my side.”
Wes Nelson
Wes Nelson, 23, is a music artist and television personality who previously shot to fame in Love Island and Dancing On Ice.
Wes says: “I’m here to fall back in love with sport again, I really haven’t done any sort of training, gym or running for four years now. And I could never have imagined myself saying that four years ago or having a life without sport. I wanted to fall back in love with it and back into it and get that engine and passion burning again.
“I think my strongest events will be the sprints but I’m more excited for the diving because it’s something I’ve never done. I love learning new things, so the thought of jumping off a 10-metre board to me sounds sick! I want to do handstands and flips off it. I’ve been watching Tom Daley and it looks amazing. I can walk on my hands, so we’ll see!”
Rebecca Sarker
Actor Rebecca, 46, is currently at the centre of an explosive storyline as Manpreet Sharma in Emmerdale, having previously appeared in many TV programmes such as Dark Heart, Twenty Twelve, Holby City and Coronation Street.
Says Rebecca: “I feel this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I was very honoured and surprised to be asked to be involved and my children would probably never forgive me if I didn’t take part. It’s an opportunity to learn new skills and new disciplines, increase my fitness and challenge myself.”
“People seem to think that I’m going to be very good at cycling but I think that’s mainly because I did the On Yer Bike Challenge, so that’s slightly worrying me because the expectation is quite high.”
Ryan Thomas
Actor and presenter Ryan Thomas, 37, is best known for his role as Jason Grimshaw in Coronation Street. Since leaving the soap in 2016, Ryan has appeared in Neighbours, The Island with Bear Grylls, won Celebrity Big Brother and filmed ITV series Mancs in Mumbai with his brothers Adam and Scott.
Says Ryan: “I think this is an amazing opportunity to give myself motivation, focus, keep fit mentally and physically, meet new people and learn new skills. I’m totally taking myself out of my comfort zone which is why we are all here I think.
“I think my favourite event will be the hammer. Least favourite will be the diving because I’m worried about doing belly flops and hurting myself! But they are all really difficult sports. I’m more of a team player so it’s going to be difficult to say I’m really competitive but I don’t want to come last! I’d like to win a few! I’ll need to bring it. But who knows, we’ll see.”
The Games will also see former professional footballer and presenter Alex Scott as trackside reporter and former professional football player and presenter Chris Kamara as commentator.
As well as live coverage of the events, each episode will feature the celebrities’ preparation as they’re taught the sports from scratch by some of the UK’s top coaches. Following their gruelling training programme leading up to the competition, as they aim to reach their peak physical condition.
As the leader board takes shape with each night, the series will culminate in an exhilarating final showdown in which one male champion and one female champion will be crowned.
The Games will begin on Monday, 9 May 2022 at 9PM on ITV. The five-part series will continue live nightly throughout the week.
As well as watching on TV you’ll be able to watch episodes online via the ITV Hub.
